Miscellaneous
Pressure Cooker Canning Recipe - GARDEN SPECIAL
Blue Ribbon Polish Dill Pickles
Kicked up Stuffed Cabbage
From the Kitchen of Sandra Rubenstein
1 Med size cabbage
1 lb Hamburg
1/4 cup cooked orzo pasta
1 sm onion dice, sauté, & cooled
1 ex lg lightly beaten egg
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lg or 2 small cans Hunts Sloppy Joe Manwich Sauce
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Carefully remove core of cabbage and separate leaves. Put them in a pot of boiling water. Turn off pot and let sit in water 5 minutes or until pliable. Drain and place leaves on towel. Mix Hamburg, orzo, onion, egg and seasonings. Put a heaping tablespoon of mixture in each cabbage leave and roll like an "egg roll". Place seam side down in a 9 X 13 pan so they are closely fitted. Put sauce in bowl and whisk in cornstarch until thoroughly blended. Pour manwich sauce over rolls. Cover with tin foil. Bake 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
New England Boiled Dinner
Makes 6 servings
This dinner of meat and vegetables boiled together is hearty, satisfying, and fairly easy to prepare. The long cooking time allowed a busy New England woman to attend to other chores while the dish simmered.
4 pounds corned beef
1 bay leaf
8 peppercorns
1 clove garlic
1 stalk celery, halved
5 medium carrots, 2 cut in half and 3 cut into 2-inch lengths
5 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 small white turnips, peeled and quartered
1/2 medium head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
2 small beets, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Place the corned beef in a large soup pot or stockpot, with enough water to cover completely. Bring to a boil over high heat.
As soon as the water boils, pour it off and add fresh water to cover the corned beef. Add the bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, celery, and the halved carrots.
Bring the water back to a boil over high heat, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, skimming as necessary, until the meat is tender but still firm, about 2 & 1/2 hours.
About 30 minutes before the meal is done, strain entire contents of the pot, reserving the liquid, Place meat and liquid back in cooking pot, discarding the bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, and broth vegetables. Add the 2-inch carrot pieces, potatoes, turnips, and onions. After 15 minutes, add the cabbage.
At the same time you add the carrots to the meat, bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the beets, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and serve.
When the meat and vegetables are cooked, drain and cut the meat into slices. Arrange the meat on a platter and surround it with vegetables (including the beets). Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
Red Flannel Hash
Makes 4 servings
This quickly prepared favorite makes good use of leftover Boiled Dinner. One old-time Vermont recipe lists ingredients as "left over corned beef, cold boiled potatoes, cold cooked diced beets, one small onion, and bacon fat." It them instructs, "fry the chopped onion in bacon fat and add the other ingredients in equal proportions."
This recipe is only slightly more complex.
1/3 cup finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
2 cups chopped, cooked potatoes or loose-pack, frozen, hash brown potatoes, thawed
One 16-ounce can diced beets, drained
1 & ½ cups finely chopped, cooked corned beef
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons milk
Few drops bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)
In a large skillet, cook onions in margarine or butter until tender. Stir in potatoes, beets, beef, salt, and pepper. Spread evenly in skillet. Cook over medium heat for 8 - 10 minutes, or until browned on bottom, turning occasionally. Stir in milk and if desired, hot pepper sauce.
Baking Powder Biscuts
Makes 4 servings
2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tb. sugar
3/4 cup milk
butter
2 quarts strawberries
whipping cream
Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening.
Stir in milk.
Roll dough lightly until about one inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter.
Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 450 about 12 minutes.
Split while warm and spread with butter. I like to serve it warm.
Spoon berries onto middle layer of biscuit before replacing top. Be generous in use of berries.
Top with sweetened and flavored whipped cream.
HINT: Always use fresh baking powder, no older than 4 or 5 months.
Barb's Favorite Pie Crust
This dough can be left in refrigerator up to 3 days or can be frozen and left out to thaw. Makes two 9-inch double crust pies and 1 pie shell or 20 tarts.
4 cups flour
1 Tb. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 & 3/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup water
1 Tb. white cider vinegar
1 large egg
Stir together with fork: flour, sugar, salt.
Cut in shortening until crumbly.
Beat water, vinegar and egg. Add to flour.
Divide dough into 5 portions. Shape each in a flat round patty. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.
Lightly flour both sides and roll out 1/8 inch for pie.
I have been making pies and pie crusts since I was a Junior at Essex Junction High School. That year I won the Cherry Pie Contest sponsored by the home economics teacher, Marcia Wright. For the next four weeks I averaged two cherry pies a day. I made two at school under the supervision of Miss Wright and often made two more at home to perfect the technique. I entered the state Cherry Pie Contest held in Montpelier, VT, and was runner-up. The winner had made her crust with cream cheese which I remember feeling that was just not fair.
-Barb
Bob's Pie Crust
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup shortening
5 & 1/2 Tb. cold water
1/4 cup flour
Sift flour and salt.
Cut shortening into flour with a pastry blender.
Mix water into the 1/4 cup of flour, stir well and add to mixture. Form into a ball and let rest for 15 minutes.
Roll into pie shells.
Bob got this recipe when he shared an apartment in Burlington, Vt, while attending the University of Vermont.
Pressure Cooker Canning Recipe - GARDEN SPECIAL
4 quarts tomatoes
1 ½ quarts celery
1 ½ quarts onions
1 ½ quarts carrots
1 ½ quarts green beans
6 sweet peppers
1 quart water
3 Tbs. salt
2 Tbs. sugar
Dice vegetables (except tomatoes).
Boil vegetables (except tomatoes). 20 minutes.
Add tomatoes and seasonings. Bring to a boil.
Put in washed quart canning jars. There should be enough to fill 7 quart jars with some left to eat. Process jars in pressure cooker for 25 minutes at 10 lbs. pressure. Follow directions on your own pressure cooker carefully. DO NOT USE CORN IN THIS RECIPE.
(I got this recipe from Farmer Bob’s mother at least 40 years ago and have made it ever since. I have never canned enough. I use it all winter long as a side vegetable dish. I love to add a quart to vegetable soup which makes it especially flavorful. This is my all-time favorite canning recipe).
Blue Ribbon Polish Dill Pickles
Place the following ingredients in each quart canning jar:
1 – 2 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
3 – 4 cloves of garlic
1 dill head with leaves and stem
Cucumbers (if your cukes are 3 inches or under, pack them whole. Larger cukes can be sliced in lengthwise pieces).
Brine ingredients:
½ cup salt
3 tsp. sugar
4 quarts water
1 quart cider vinegar
Fill clean, wide-mouth quart canning jars with cucumbers and herbs.
Combine ingredients for the brine in a large pan.
Boil the mixture for 2 minutes. When the brine cools a little pour it over the packed jars.
Close the jar lids tightly and place into a hot water bath with several inches of warm water covering the bottom.
When all the jars are in the canner, cover jars by ½ - 1 inch of hot water.
Turn up heat until water is hot. If water starts to boil turn heat down. The pickles may be ready if this occurs. Watch the cucumbers as they start to turn a lighter green. When 2/3 of the cucumbers have changed color remove from water bath immediately. Turn the jars upside down for the cooling process. This helps them seal better.
(Dick Paganelli passed this recipe on to us, which has won first place at the Deerfield Fair in New Hampshire for the last 10 years. Bob and I truly love these crisp pickles and think you might too).
